Philosophy of Play
Philosophy of Player Current Version 9.0.0, pages 11 & 12. One While it is not assumed that all participants will be able to be 100% happy with every Dystopia Rising experience, it should be the intent of all event runners and event attendees to create an experience that is enjoyable for all. If something can be done within the reasonable scope of an event to assist participants in having a healthier and more enjoyable experience, then these actions should be taken. This does not mean that any individual should be able to make unreasonable demands that lie outside the scope of the experience, but it does mean that all reasonable requests should be listened to, engaged with, and considered for the betterment of all. Two Dystopia Rising events are a shared living experience. Shared living experiences mean that each person who attends the event is equally important and should be treated with an equal degree of respect and consideration. Participants who engage more people and are inclusive in their experience will find they have a wealth of new stories, experiences, and friendships that grow from the event. Participants who act in ways that are exclusive, selfish, self-serving, or harmful will find that their experience will not be as enjoyable because they will find fewer people willing to engage with them (and potentially be asked to leave or not return). Three No system of rules, words, or design is perfect. Outside of gaming some of the most important political, religious, and social documentation is argued for scope of context, intent, meaning, and applied legality. In the end, there need to be individuals who can make decisions regarding interpretation of genre, rules, and mechanical design. While these individuals (the collective franchise business owners) will do their best to apply fair rules and foster enjoyable experiences, there is also a degree of responsibility that falls on the participants. If a participant is intelligent enough to find loopholes, exploits, and abuse catches in the game or event rules and designs, those players who also considered intelligent enough to know that those loopholes and exploits should not be used. Mechanical systems and social systems exist as an attempt to create a fair and better event experience for participants and are not intended to be a moralistic jungle gym to allow people to see "how much they can get away with." Four There is plenty of room for interpretation within the Dystopia Rising universe, but the core concessions that participants need to accept when attending a Dystopia Rising event is that they are playing by the world design, content, and stories that are part of the canon of Dystopia Rising. While it is understandable and encouraged for participants to have a love of a particular fandom or experience that isn't part of the Dystopia Rising genre, it is actively inconsiderate (or damaging) to the experience of other participants when individuals attempt to force their personal non-genre aspects on other players. Having a love of video games, comics, and stories that other have created in other media is great, but in this larp players agree to create their own characters and their own shared stories in the Dystopia Rising universe. Five Dystopia Rising is a community organized around the concept of a shared game world and network of locally run experiences. Individual branch owners are empowered to make decisions for the health and safety of the community of participants that attend their games. As discussed further in the section titled "Mature Content and Sensitive Subject Matter," sexual assault, abuse, and discrimination are strictly prohibited within Dystopia Rising experiences. As provided by state and federal law, individual businesses may choose to refuse services to any individual for any reasons not protected by anti-discrimination laws. If an individual is refused service, it is the standard practice to not make public announcements regarding the reason for the individual refusal of service. However, if harm or damage is brought to a community due to the reaction of the participant, brands do have a right to disclose (and take legal responsibility for the ramifications of the disclosure). Six. Because laws and restrictions vary from location to location, each branch has the responsibility to clarify on its website how mechanical engagement functions and how the local experience differs from a standard experience with respect to local guidelines. For example, the definition of private domicile relating to tents changes from state to state, and the legal definition of a bow (as in bow and arrow) can vary from firearm to sporting equipment (in laws related to negligence and assault). Because of these variances in local law, local branches are required to offer easily accessible documentation and transparency regarding local legalities. It is expected that all participants will follow local branches' rules (such as tents being considered an out-of-character space) as well as adhering to regional and state laws. Seven. The experience and shared community that grows around the created experience is the goal of "victory condition" of the Dystopia Rising Larp Network. Mechanics, plots, and in-character materials are nothing more than support columns for the experience. Oftentimes item cards or mechanical representation are used in conjunction with the true living experience in an attempt to augment the living experience. They're also used to provide a means of engagement that not all players may have the ability to experience in their day-to-day lives, and to lessen the cost of investment for materials that are transient or expendable. There are also prop requirements for items and players where physical representation must be provided by a player in order to engage in the toyetic and physical aspect of play. While props and costumes do not need to be expensive or the highest quality, and concessions are made to limit the financial stress of participation, a reasonable effort for representation and presentation should be made out of respect for other players, to make the shared experience better for all involved.